Covid-19: Most of Exeter's virus cases 'are students'

The University of Exeter said it had carried out hundreds of tests each day

More than 80% of coronavirus cases in one of the worst affected cities are attributable to students, a university has said.

Exeter is the only town or city in the south of England in the top 10 for the number of coronavirus cases per person.

The University of Exeter said it had carried out hundreds of tests each day and was monitoring results closely.

The numbers in Exeter leapt up to 438 per 100,000 residents for the week to 6 October, up 358 from the week before.

The high number of cases means the city could face new restrictions on Monday.

However, despite Exeter having the seventh-highest infection rate in England, the leader of Devon County Council remains hopeful a local lockdown will not be needed.

Councillor John Hart said the virus was "not in the community", with the university claiming there was "no evidence of transmission to the wider community".

While the number of cases rose by 576 in Exeter in the last week, nearby Plymouth - which also has similar student population - only saw 107.